Posted by psychobot5000 on October 22, 2007, at 13:32:18
In reply to Re: beta carbolines to reverse benzo cognitive pro, posted by linkadge on August 8, 2007, at 11:08:50
> My main reasoning was this. The beta carbolines have a short half life. Probably shorter than the shortest acting benzo (I would need to double check that claim). Anyhow, say you needed to concentrate just for an hour, but you just took a long acting benzo recently. Have a cup of coffee?
>I saw this thread, and I wanted to respond to your question.
I get benzo-induced cognitive impairment fairly easily. Possibly because my memory and concentration are fairly poor in the first place (presumably because of depression-related cognitive impairment), I am sensitive to the effect. In any case, if I take a benzo for a day or two, I will begin to notice word-finding problems and other memory issues...which persist beyond the effective dose--they take a day or two to develop, and a few days to fade away again.
But I've noticed that drinking coffee does quite the opposite. I believe that, after I have a few cups of coffee after, it seems to help eliminate those word-finding difficulties.
Though drinking coffee is unpleasant for me (anxiety, sleep difficulties, etc), if I drink coffee for a few days, I think it speeds up my mind a bit, and makes my memory a bit better for a day or so afterward. It feels like the opposite of the short-term (but not immediate to dosing) negative effects I get from a benzo. I also don't get the same mental effect from tea, so I don't think it's just the caffeine or other methylxanthine stimulants. I think it's the beta-carbolines in the coffee, being helpful.
It could be a placebo effect, of course, but that's what I've observed in myself. Hope that's helpful.
Psychbot5000
poster:psychobot5000
thread:774284
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20071019/msgs/790641.html